With just a seven-man rotation (and that’s optimistic) for Friday night’s NCAA Tournament game for Minnesota, matchups and strategy will be especially important for Ben Howland and Co. as it tries to match up with the physical force that is the Gophers’ frontcourt.

Matchups and substitutions haven’t always been Howland’s forte in his time in Westwood, but with almost all the focus this week on making tailor-made adjustments to help the Bruins succeed, there’s plenty of pressure on that front.

There’s no telling exactly how Howland will play the Gophers — he tends to hold things pretty close to the vest — but this is how I expect the matchups to play out on Friday:

Trevor Mbakwe vs. Travis Wear

This is where Minnesota will most try to work its athletic advantage on the interior. Trevor Mbakwe is a man’s man who averages 8.7 rebounds per game and has the ability to absolutely take over a game. He’s lost a step in light of the ligament damage that he suffered last season, but he’s still a physical strong forward/center that can score with his post moves — the exact type of player that UCLA has struggled against in a limited sample size. Wear might be able to space Mbakwe out and pull him away from the basket, and from there, he may be able to get some open perimeter shots. Pulling down rebounds though, against the best rebounder on a top-ten rebounding team nationally, might be a challenge. This matchup could very well be a massacre.

Edge: Minnesota

Rodney Williams vs. Kyle Anderson

When I watched Rodney Williams while covering the Big Ten last basketball season, I always came away astonished by his athleticism. Unfortunately for Minnesota, that athleticism hasn’t exactly developed into much more, as Williams is still a much better player in the open floor and in space than he is with a man marking him constantly. Anderson might have some trouble keeping up with Williams, but his length and improved defense will be huge in trying to keep Williams out of the lane. Offensively, Anderson has still been inconsistent, but if he can knock down some jump shots, then UCLA will be much better off.

Edge: Even

Shabazz Muhammad vs. Joe Coleman

I’m not 100 percent sure what to think of Muhammad’s Pac-12 Tournament — a stretch of less-than-stellar performances that ended with his complaining. Sure, there were still stretches of the game in which Muhammad looked like a star, but for the tournament, those moments seemed fewer and farther between. This weekend could be his last chance to show NBA scouts that he’s able to take over a game, and I expect that he’ll play as such. Whether that means too many forced shots or what, Joe Coleman‘s defense (or whoever guards him primarily) could be a game-changing factor. Coleman, in his own right, is a decent guard who can force turnovers at a pretty good clip. Still, I think the safe bet is on the NBA Lottery pick.

Edge: UCLA

Austin Hollins vs. Norman Powell

It’s almost impossible to predict how Powell will respond in his second game with starter’s minutes. Either way, the Bruins will need him to contribute at least somewhat, especially on the defensive end, where Minnesota’s Austin Hollins has shown a proclivity for carrying the scoring load on any random night that he gots hot from the field. Powell scored 10 points and shot 50 percent in his first game filling in for Jordan Adams, and depending on UCLA’s gameplan, the Bruins could rely on him to score a little more this time around. Powell will need to be on top of his game to lock down Hollins — who is the son of Memphis Grizzlies’ coach Lionel Hollins — and with how little we know about UCLA’s use of Powell, it’s hard to call this matchup either way.

Edge: Even

Andre Hollins vs. Larry Drew II

The hype train has followed Muhammad all season long, but avid watchers of this year’s UCLA team know that Larry Drew II is the integral part of UCLA’s lineup. It only seems fitting that Drew II would draw the game’s most integral matchup, against Minnesota point guard Andre Hollins. This Hollins (no relation to Austin) leads Minnesota in scoring and has been its most reliable shooter and best threat from deep. Drew II’s defense has improved a great deal over the course of the season, and containing a threat like Hollins is certainly not out of the realm of possibility. But where Drew II wins this matchup battle is in his ability to create for his teammates. Without Adams to penetrate and create more opportunities, the responsibility on Drew II’s shoulders will be greater, and I fully expect him to be more of a playmaker in this game, in the same sort of vein of his 20-point performance in the opening round of the Pac-12 Tourney.

Ryan Kartje is a sports features reporter, with a special focus on the NFL and college sports. He has worked for the Orange County Register since 2012, when he was hired as UCLA beat writer. His enterprise work on the rise and fall of the daily fantasy sports industry (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/industry-689093-fantasy-daily.html) was honored in 2015 with an Associated Press Sports Editors’ enterprise award in the highest circulation category. His writing has also been honored by the Football Writers Association of America and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ryan worked for the Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times and Fox Sports Wisconsin, before moving out west to live by the beach and eat copious amounts of burritos.

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